Combat in the Cage Strikes Back Recap!
by Derek Coleman



NEWARK, Del. - Following an 11-month hiatus, amateur Mixed Martial Arts returned to Delaware in style Saturday , as Combat in the Cage and Bentley Promotions jointly produced a hit with "Combat in the Cage: Strikes Back".

Delaware's first-ever sanctioned MMA event attracted a sizable crowd to the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club, and the fighters delivered a worthy performance with early knockouts and a few submissions amid competitive matchups.

In a clash of styles, lightweight Phil Legrend displayed accurate striking and timely scrambling ability to outlast powerfully-built grappler Dan Hannum. Six seconds in, a stiff jab dislodged Hannum's mouthpiece - Legrend soon followed with a pair of one-two's that forced Hannum to try for the takedown.

Hannum twice got the fight to the ground, including a powerful hip'toss in round one; but he couldn't keep the Militich New York fighter on the mat long enough to finish. Legrend scrambled well, and his quick punches drew blood on Hannum's nose and face. In round two, the referee stopped the fight when Hannum, fighting exhaustion, could no longer gain the takedown and struggled to protect himself.

In a 206-pound scrap, Tommy Bailey (Drago MMA) used a winging right hand along the cage to get a quick KO of Jason Fenstermacher. Later, Nick Tissue needed just 10 seconds to stun and finish Ernie Walker.

Joe Wigfield, of Iron Circle Martial Arts, went a different route in his 190-lb. battle against Andrew Parker. Landing on his back early, Wigfield stayed calm and seized his first opportunity - slapping on a triangle and locking it in to gain the first-round submission.

Welterweights Jason Wright and Vasile Burcoliese opened the card with a relatively even amateur Muay Thai battle. Burcoliese garnered a unanimous decision despite a strong right hand displayed throughout from Wright, a Delaware Demons product. In a similarly tight 175-lb. bout, Frank Lauro, Jr. and Joe McKenzie went back-and-forth over three rounds to share a majority draw.

Flyweight Justin Hughes was dominant in his amateur debut, gaining the mount over Nick Buff and punishing his Eclectic MA foe with repeated body shots, as Delaware's amateur MMA rules disallowed strikes to the head while fighters were on the ground. Hughes eventually moved to an armbar, and although Buff wouldn't tap the ref used better judgment and halted the fight.

"I was a little disappointed that we couldn't punch in the face," Hughes said later, "or else he would've been knocked out."

Hughes' Carroll County Kempo teammate, Kevin Shipley, bested Dan Arrowood (302 BJJ) in the evening's finale. Shipley took a split decision in a 147-lb. bout that promoter Ed Hsu called "Fight of the Night".

Combat in the Cage returns to Delaware with an ambitious MMA/Muay Thai event, CITC 15th Strike and East Coast Combat Challenge 7, on July 11.

* Note that the article and opinions of the Writer does not necessarily reflect those of CITC.